Pawpaw (Asimina triloba), also spelled papaw, deciduous tree or shrub of the custard-apple family, Annonaceae (order Magnoliales), native to the United States from the Atlantic coast north to New York state and west to Michigan and Kansas. It can grow 12 metres (40 feet) tall with pointed, broadly oblong, drooping leaves up to 30 cm (12 inches) long. The malodorous, purple, 5-cm (2-inch) flowers appear in spring before the leaves. The edible, 8- to 18-cm (3- to 7-inch) fruits resemble stubby bananas; the skin turns black as the fruit ripens. They vary, depending on the variety, in size, time of ripening, and flavour. Some persons may develop a skin reaction after handling pawpaw fruits. The other seven species of Asimina, which are shrubby North American plants, include A. speciosa and A. angustifolia.

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succulent fruit of a large plant (Carica papaya) of the family Caricaceae that is considered a tree, though its palmlike trunk, up to 8 m (26 feet) tall, is not as woody as the designation generally implies. The plant is crowned by deeply lobed leaves, sometimes 60 cm (2 feet) across, borne on...

Asimina triloba (pawpaw) is native to eastern North America and produces edible fruits of various sizes, colours, and palatabilities. (Carica papaya, or papaya, of the family Caricaceae, is also sometimes known as pawpaw.) Two general types of Asimina triloba have been observed: large, yellow-fruited, highly flavoured, and early-ripening; and relatively small,...